Composition Commons^™

Hildegard Fantasy, Julianna Charnigo

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), a German abbess, composer, mystic, and theologian, was revered as a prophet during her lifetime. Since then, her numerous accomplishments and visionary writings have made her popular both in her native Germany and across the world. Hildegard produced numerous Latin writings, more than any other woman of the Middle Ages, and her more than seventy musical compositions fascinate musicians and listeners to this day. My doctoral thesis is a composition for SATB chorus, orchestra, and soprano solo entitled Hildegard Fantasy, based on the life and music of Hildegard of Bingen.

I have written both the …

David Gillingham’S Stained Glass For Wind Ensemble: A Transcription From The Standard Percussion Repertoire, Ashley Shoupe

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Stained Glass (1994), by David Gillingham, is a work that is considered one of the standard pieces of percussion repertoire. To date, there are no known arrangements or transcriptions which exist for wind band that originated from the percussion ensemble repertoire. Stained Glass is a work which utilizes many musical characteristics and compositional techniques that could translate successfully to the wind ensemble, such as sweeping ostinato, sustained chordal structures, and a variety of colors and textures. It is because of this observation of musical characteristics that makes this work a good candidate for a successful first transcription from percussion ensemble …

Liquid Tab, Nathan Hulet

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Guitar transcription is a complex task requiring significant time, skill, and musical knowledge to achieve accurate results. Since most music is recorded and processed digitally, it would seem like many tools to digitally analyze and transcribe the audio would be available. However, the problem of automatic transcription presents many more difficulties than are initially evident. There are multiple ways to play a guitar, many diverse styles of playing, and every guitar sounds different. These problems become even more difficult considering the varying qualities of recordings and levels of background noise.

Machine learning has proven itself to be a flexible tool …

The Association Of Vitamin D, Bone Mineral Density, And Injuries Among Acrobatics And Tumbling Athletes, K Lee, A Gallucci, J Forsse, L Cherpe De Souza, L Irvin, E Boyer, L Funderburk

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Introduction: Acrobatics and Tumbling (A&T) is an emerging sport incorporating various elements of gymnastics and competitive cheerleading. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the sport presents with high injury rates potentially due to the high impact nature of the activity. Due to the potential aesthetic sport related concerns, bone mineral density and risk of injury presents a concern for patients, athletic trainers and stakeholders. Increased understanding of the relationship between bone mineral density, serum vitamin D status, and injury incidence in A&T may be useful to athletic trainers, registered dietitians, and others working with these athletes. The objective of this study was …

Bibliography, Matthew Herman

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of music pieces commissioned, performed and published by Matthew Herman.

The Influences Of The Religious Tradition Of Ramadan On Dietary Intake And Body Composition In Adolescent Athletes: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Regina A. Duncan, Shannon E. Ryan, Erin M. Watlington, Nancy A. Uriegas, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

When participating in the religious tradition of Ramadan, the body is subject to changes that adjust an athlete's regimented dietary intake. The guiding systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to gather the results of the limited research on the effect of Ramadan observance on body mass, body composition, and dietary intake in adolescent athletes. Data were extracted from two different databases, and a search through several journals exploring body mass and/or body composition and/or dietary intake was conducted. The methodological quality of each study was assessed via QualSyst. No significant differences were found when comparing the body mass, body composition, …

A Study Of Six Selected Piano Variations By Czerny, Hao Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research paper is focused on the piano variations by Carl Czerny (1791-1857), with discussion and analysis of six among his 180 sets of piano variations. These six sets of variations include: Les charmes de l'amitié (Charms of Friendship), Op. 55; Variations on a Theme from Oberon, Op. 134; Introduction and Variations on La muette de Portici, Op. 208; Variations brillantes sur un thème favori de l'opéra Hans Heiling de Henri Marschner, Op. 341; Variations on a Motif by Ch. L. Hoffmann, “Souvenir de Boieldieu,” Op. 352; and Eisenbahn Variationen (Variations on a Waltz by Strauss), Op. 431. These …

They Care If You Listen: Works For Cello And Piano By Migó, Rachmaninoff, Ysaÿe, And Gershwin, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

Essay from the liner notes for the CD Cerdanyenca featuring cellist Mark Prihodko and pianist Viktoria Korolionok.

Composers At War: A Study Of Composers Who Fought In World War I And World War Ii, Jason T. Hoffmann

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research document explores the connections between the war experiences of four composers and whether the possibility existed that any of the composers had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), moral injury, mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Scholars have not thoroughly examined the music of composers written before, during, and after war experiences and any potential changes to musical styles or compositional techniques. In my research I look at the effects that war can have on composers through autobiographical and biographical accounts of Ivor Gurney (WWI), Olivier Messiaen (WWII), Maurice Ravel (WWI), and …

Scores Of Nature (Volume 2), Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Research

Scores of Nature (Volume 2) is a collection of experimental notation and scores, which are created through serial, unplanned, and partially planned musical sequences overlaid onto natural scenes, spaces, or objects that the composer has taken photographs of in different places. This sequence is of five sets of images, many of them with curvature or lines that can be redesigned within an imaginative or manipulated musical staff with parallel or intersecting lines, clefs, time signatures, and other elements of a traditional score. In some cases the composer has offered a possible interpretation of the experimental score and notation through traditional …

"Overture" (For Emmanuel), Katherine Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

“Overture” (For Emmanuel) is a piece derived from twelve melodies from the composer’s original musical, Emmanuel. The piece is for full orchestra, and is five minutes and forty-seven seconds long.

Scores Of Nature (Volume 1), Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Research

1. Bone & Stone Sonata;

2. Jellyfish & Seaweed Suite;

3. Bonfire Bay Sonata;

Three works of experimental music and notation are included in Scores of Nature (Volume 1), which include pieces written on beaches with fishbone and pebbles, a bonfire and bay in Sointula, and a piece recommended for solo 'cello, where the score is an image of a beached jellyfish in a bedding of seaweed, in which the musician needs to react to the image and play what they are imagining from that image. From the description provided in the score text: "In this piece, Jellyfish & …

An Analysis Of Common Music Production Elements From The 1980s: Highlighting The Musical Influences Of Michael Jackson, Prince, And Madonna, Marcus Perry

Composition/Recording Projects

This production paper analyzes the impact the music technology used in the music productions of Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna has had on today's music. The history and application of music technologies such as the Yamaha DX7 and LinnDrum are discussed at length. The music of the 1980s era played a significant role in inspiring how music sounds in the 2020s decade, and the music production elements used by Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna can still be heard today

Cello In Film And Television Music, Annastasia M. Yoshida

Composition/Recording Projects

Throughout the ages, the cello has had a specific role in symphonies, operas, musicals, and pop concerts. In the last century, one of the fastest-growing music practices has been soundtracks to film and television shows. String instruments and specifically the cello hold an integral role within this type of music. In this project I present a study on the use of the cello in film and television show music, using eight representative soundtrack cues. In this project, I seek to do an extensive study of the use of cello within film and TV show music. I have chosen a selection …

Noted With Honor: Intersections Between Theology, Music Therapy, Psychotherapy, And Original Music Compositions For Hospice Patients, Stanton Nelson

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

This thesis investigates the intersections between theology, music therapy, and psychotherapy when creating a music composition that honors a hospice patient’s walk of faith. A pioneer organization inspiring this thesis is Swan Songs in Austin, Texas, where musical moments are created for the patient and family. However, its model is primarily based on collating previously composed pieces for recitals without a personalized honoring of the patient’s witness of faith. Noted with Honor is an emerging non-profit organization that creates an original work that reflects upon the testimony of the patient and forms a new narrative towards the end of one’s …

Same As It Ever Was: An Exploration And Demonstration Of Techniques For Repurposing And Modernizing Advanced Musical Vocabulary In Mainstream Commercial Music, Aidan Scrivens

Composition/Recording Projects

In the market for tertiary level commercial music education, educators find themselves pulled between students' commercial stylistic interests and the seemingly incommensurable genres better suited to exploring advanced theoretical concepts and vocabulary. This divide can lead to a motivational deficiency in a student that, in turn, can hinder their development and render their collegiate experience less worth the expense. In the interest of combating this potential motivational deficiency, this recording project and accompanying paper explores and demonstrates the process of modernizing and recontextualizing material found in these less commercially mainstream genres. By adapting vocabulary and approaches learned from the transcription …

Co-Writing Nashville Style: A Recital Of Selected Country Songwriters, Joseph H. Wandass Iv

Recital Papers

Country music and songwriting have been hallmark features of the Nashville music scene for well over a century. Due to the development of the concept of "the Nashville Dream," the idea that one can "make it" in music by moving to Nashville and writing songs, migratory patterns to Nashville from across the United States have changed the ways in which Nashville-based music is created and disseminated. In the thesis and accompanying recital, these trends are analyzed through the lens of ten selected active Nashville songwriters who have seen these trends. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree …

The Planets, Reimagined: Translating Science Into Music, Kaitlyn Wincup

Honors Projects

Inspired by Gustav Holst’s The Planets, this project analyzed the qualitative properties of the planets in our Solar System and translated them into a composition, created by Connor Gibbs, to represent an overall aural depiction of each planet. Where Holst created an astrological depiction of each of the planets, this piece is an astronomical depiction that broadens the perspectives of its listeners.

Sound Chapel, Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Research

The idea of "Sound Chapel" liturgies, in the manner of matins or vespers, is that a chapel space is darkened with only the light of a single or several candles available. The organ shall play sustaining notes in various, slow, elongated and sustained ways, at the discretion of the organist. The piece shall create a meditative space with the music being of "piano" (p/pp/ppp) or quieter levels. Various "liturgies" are suggested by the composer below, but may be altered and done ad lib by the performer(s) as the tone or mood of the early morning or early evening "sound chapel" …

Cereal Variations, Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Research

The “Cereal Variations” are short works of experimental notation using different types of cereal or other grains (rice, wheat, bran, and “Honey O’s”), in order to expand the notions of the score. Each piece is very short (10 or fewer measures) and written in C—but this should not restrict performers from transposing or trying pieces in other keys. No tempo or instrumentation is given either, so that performers may use whatever instruments they want. It is encouraged that musicians use anything from percussion to strings and even attempt slow versions of multiple voice choruses. Performers may also want to try …